Remote: Reflections on Life in the Shadow of Celebrity

by David Shields

Book Overview

In this truly one-of-a-kind book, the author/narrator--a representative, in extremis, of contemporary American obsession with beauty, celebrity, transmitted image--finds himself suspended, fascinated, in the remoteness of our wall-to-wall mediascape. It is a remoteness that both perplexes and enthralls him.
Through dazzling sleight of hand in which the public becomes private and the private becomes public, the entire book--clicking from confession...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0299193640
• ISBN13: 9780299193645
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

The Little Things

This book will be of interest to those who notice the little things in life, the things that are hard to miss but always get looked over. Saying what people want to say but may be too afraid to, Shields' book is bold and truthful about the world. The minute detail that instances of his own past and the cultural past of America that are investigated in this book are thought-provoking. A book that anyone could relate to, "Remote" points out the absurdity of everyday life. The everyday things that we all notice but don't quite register are here in this American critique. A book for anyone who has a family, is American, is a subject of humanity will relate to and revel in this insightful quest for resolution, and feel comfort in the fact that we are not alone.

Fascinating Read...should be back in print

This is a wonderful and at times wonderous book. Some terrific passages about our celebrity driven culture and our "remoteness." Some of the book is hilarious, some it is sad. I especially liked the section about the allure of women in glasses. Brillant. The passage about David "NYPD Blue" Milch is powerful. Autobiography or allegory or both, this book is unlike anything you have read or will read. It deserves another life back in print.

David Shields' Remote; a memoir of media separateness

In "Remote", David Shields tells his own story through the printed and recorded parts of America. One of Shields' central themes is the difference between life and virtual-life: major events in his memory are linked directly to some form of media. His story is based on "almost fame," or as a frequent title explains, "the nimbus of her fame makes a nullity of us all." The idea of media remoteness is explored in amazingly honest detail, often with humor and a delicious taste of irony at the ridiculous. Through his obsession with "the filmed familiar," Oprah, America's Funniest Home Videos, and anecdotes too numerous to mention, Mr. Shields' essays capture the confusion and separateness that America feels at the power of its entertainment industry. This book is a must for anyone who claims to be media-savvy or enjoys a concise, entertaining and intelligent autobiography. There isn't much that this book doesn't cover, but much more impressive is the advice that it manages to suggest. As Mr. Shields' observations add another dimension to your understanding of this world, you'll find yourself underlining and circling while smiling drily.